Health and ‘SAIfety’ - AI for Health and Safety

With the rapid development of AI technology across multiple disciplines and spanning industry sectors, the introduction of revolutionary AI technology in the field of Health and Safety was always a possibility. Now the possibility is closer than ever before, offering massive potential to make a huge impact, particularly AI in occupational health and safety.

Chris Wagstaff, Croner’s Health and Safety Director, offers his insight into the possibilities and challenges that AI developments in the realm of Health and Safety. Chris says:

“Artificial intelligence (AI) is the intelligence of machines or software, being able to perform cognitive functions that we associate with sentient minds like that of human beings or animals. This means that AI can learn, problem solve and interact with the environment.”

He adds, “With legal firms investing up to 55% of their annual profits in Artificial Intelligence, the Health and Safety community should not be hasty in casting this out of their minds. However, Health and Safety is a tough subject for AI to grasp due to its lack of emotional, ethical and creative awareness. Simply put, AI can crunch the data and hypothesise countless scenarios, but it runs on hard logic. This fact alone, in a field where ethics are paramount, can be problematic.”

However, there is plenty of opportunity and potential uses for AI in Health and Safety, its application is crucial to how successful the technology becomes.

Chris adds: “AI can be impactful in Health and Safety, because it can rapidly increase efficiency, reduce costs, and enable decision-making at speeds and scales that humans alone can’t achieve. Furthermore, its ability to perform routine tasks (e.g., data entry, scheduling) in an increasingly efficient fashion and at scale, means high-value skills like critical thinking, empathy, and strategic judgment become more important.”

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Potential benefits of AI in Health and Safety

There are several ways that AI could benefit Health and Safety, particularly in the workplace.

Chris says: “AI’s ability to analyse and interpret huge volumes of data, coupled with its machine learning ability to recognise patterns in that data, can help industries anticipate and act before a potential safety issue becomes an incident.”

Below are just some of the potential uses for artificial intelligence technology.

Predictive safety

AI can analyse historical data (accidents, near misses, environmental data) to predict where risks are likely to occur, enabling proactive intervention. AI can also review large data sets in real time to predict patterns and trends.

Real-time hazard detection

Using computer vision and sensors, AI could detect unsafe conditions in real time, such as a worker not wearing PPE or entering a restricted area. It can monitor large workforces in real-time and provide live feedback.

Faster incident response

AI-enabled systems could alert safety managers and emergency services the moment something goes wrong, reducing response time and improving emergency outcomes.

Fewer human errors

AI will be utilised to support decision-making and reduce the impact of fatigue, oversight, or inattention, which are common causes of workplace incidents. Much in the same way robotics have revolutionised the automotive trade, similarly AI could potentially have a huge impact in fields where hazardous substances are risk to worker safety. For example, allowing the worker to operate from a safer position out of range from contamination.

Compliance monitoring

AI systems could be used to monitor regulatory requirements automatically, such as air quality levels, exposure times, or machinery lockout procedures, and generate compliance reports.

Wearable technology

Wearable AI technology could predict potential workforce issues such as fatigue and poor patterns of movement. Body temperature could be tracked and alerts sent to supervisors within seconds alerting them of potential risks in the workforce. Drowsiness and distraction could be monitored for HGV drivers as well as smart re-routing to avoid potential accidents.

The role of human oversight

Whilst there are many positive potential uses for AI in Health and Safety, when all is said and done, AI can assist, but not replace, human responsibility in Health and Safety. Safety professionals will still be required to validate AI content and recommendations when it comes to things such as risk assessments. Likewise, Incident investigations still require a greater human element such as empathy, context, and judgment to place them at the scene of the accident.

Overall humans are needed to interpret complex social, emotional, and ethical dynamics that AI cannot fully grasp. Chris says:

“Why is it important for emotion and ethics to be present in health and safety and not just number crunching? This is simple for me, because Health and Safety saves lives and improves the quality of life for workers. Human beings are all made up of unique personalities, skills and ways of working; our emotions determine our actions. For example, experiencing emotions has been linked to humans’ ability to problem-solve, our motivation, distance perception and perceived effort (Clore & Huntsinger, 2007).”

He adds, “Emotion also spreads through a workforce quicker than any health and safety awareness training ever will. Driving human emotion drives a positive Health and Safety culture that is something that AI cannot replicate.”

Final Thoughts for the Future of Health and Safety with AI

Whilst a lot of the technology is still in its infancy and currently being developed, AI can potentially be implemented to facilitate low incident working environment through AI’s predictive modelling.

Chris says, “Predictive modelling can help with training, allowing the creation of simulated and personalised content. As well as this it has the potential to support workers’ mental health through digital assistants and sentiment analysis.”

Need expert advice on Health and Safety?

Health and Safety compliance is a serious matter, not only for the wellbeing of your workforce, but for your business’s financial and reputational wellbeing. A compliance failure can cost your business an extortionate amount in terms of legal costs, let alone the potential for a criminal conviction.

Talk to a member of Croner’s Health and Safety team and ensure your business is compliant with the latest legislation.

Call 0808 501 6651.